Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar served unforgettable unbeaten hundreds on Sunday, leading India to a thrilling draw with England during the fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Old Trafford.
India looked to be gazing into the face of inevitable defeat after collapsing to 0/2 in their second innings, remaining 311 runs adrift of England.
But a gritty and unyielding batting performance—highlighted by a magnificent 103 by Shubman Gill, an unbeaten 107 by Jadeja, a flawless 100 not out by Sundar, and a measured 90 by KL Rahul—assisted the visitors in staging an unbelievable resistance and preventing England from securing a series-winning victory.
The deadlock sets up England to win the five-match series 2-1 going into the final Test at The Oval, which begins on Thursday. England's bowlers did not manage to put persistent pressure on day five, and their frustration was palpable when Jadeja and Sundar, batting in place of injured Rishabh Pant at number five, refused an early draw offer to score their milestones respectively.
Jadeja asserted himself in the last session by thrashing Liam Dawson for two boundaries, and Sundar dispatched Chris Woakes stylishly through the covers. Jadeja kept his counterattack going, hitting Dawson over the bowler's head and then driving Joe Root past mid-on for four.
Jadeja appeared to relish confronting Root, sending him for consecutive boundaries. The second of those shots saw Jadeja reach a 150-run stand with Sundar, the latter moving into the 80s with a elegant boundary down extra cover off the part-timer.
England captain Ben Stokes suggested a handshake at the drinks interval, but the Indians refused, eager to press on. Jadeja complemented with a four off Harry Brook, while Sundar answered with two gorgeous cover drives off Root.
Sundar completed the 90s with a pull for four, before Jadeja celebrated his hundred in style—dancing down the wicket to loft Brook over the top for six, then repeating the trick with a boundary off a full toss. Sundar followed him quickly to his hundred too, driving Brook over extra cover to take a 200-run stand to the mark, then clipping a ball off his pads for two to take his first Test century.
Only when both the batters had reached their milestones did the captains officially agree to conclude the game, the draw leaving the more contented side as India. Rahul, Gill, Jadeja, and Sundar's efforts kept the visitors in the running as the series approaches an exciting finish.
Match Summary:
India 358 & 425/4 in 143 overs (Ravindra Jadeja 107, Shubman Gill 103; Chris Woakes 2-67, Ben Stokes 1-33) v England 669 in 157.1 overs (Joe Root 150; Ravindra Jadeja 4-143)
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